Sandybanks Keel Achill

jimmerc

Myself and my wife visited the Sandybanks caravan park in Achill, Co Mayo on the 15th July. I had not been to Achill for almost 30 years and was looking forward to the revisit. I rang Sandybanks Caravan Park the day before to check if there was any availability and was told that there was plenty of room. I would like to state at the outset that when I visit any caravan park I set the standard benchmark as the Caravan Club standard. There may be a better standard but I have not seen any.

We decided to go for three nights just to get away and I wanted to test the new brakes on the caravan before we set off on our holidays in a few weeks time. We live in the centre of Ireland and Achill is about three hours drive from us. The road to Castlebar was very good and there has been a lot of work done to improve it over the last few years. However, the road surface deteriorates considerably from Castlebar to Achill. The scenery is stunning if you get the chance to look at it while you struggle to keep the car and caravan on the road! But we got there and we found Sandybanks caravan park right on the beach with a large mountain to the rear. The beach is a public beach and seems to be popular with surfers and water sports enthusiasts.

We called to the reception area and I noted that the sign had FOUR STARS on it indicating the tourist board standard. The staff were friendly and the total charge was € 67 including four tokens for the showers. The site was busy which was to be expected with a large amount of families. I asked where we were to set up and was told ‘just travel around until you see somewhere you like’. We got a hardstand near one of the two toilet blocks. The site was set up with a tarmac road going around the site and hardstands branching off it. Each hardstand had an electrical power point but was not numbered. There were large open areas with electrical power point stands that were there for caravans and tents to connect to. There was no separation of caravans and tents which meant that there was an air of disorganisation in the way the park was run. This was evident on the second day when a caravan positioned itself between our caravan and the one next door!
We got set up and settled down to enjoy the few days in Achill and I decided to check the toilet and washing facilities. There are two toilet blocks each toilet block consisted of three cubicles, three wash hand basins and a wall urinal. There were four shower cubicles and a camper’s kitchen which had four wash up areas. Unfortunately the standard of cleanliness in the toilet area was poor. But to be fair the site was full and there was serious pressure on the facilities. The showers are token (€1 each) operated which gives you about four/five minutes shower time. This would not suit my youngest who regards twenty minutes in the shower as too short! I tried the showers which reminded me of a shower I used in a small hotel in Belarus a few years ago. In fact I am convinced that the same plumber had installed this in Sandybanks. The shower consisted of an irregular dribble and alternated between hot and cold, mainly cold! I did not need the full five minutes as I was out in four!

The local pub is just five minutes’ walk from the site. It is a large building and the bar consists of a large open plan with bench seats. It had the atmosphere and warmth of a 1970’s railway station. The only thing of interest is the Sinn Fein and republican posters dotted about the walls. This may be of great interest to people of that political point of view but I found it garish and distasteful. The village also has a small post office and supermarket although the member of staff that served me had the personality of a fridge freezer! I am not asking for counter staff to be my ‘very best friend’ but a simple hello and a smile would be nice. Remember that Achill is regarded as a premier tourist area and it is tourists that are paying their wages.

All that aside, the island of Achill is very beautiful with wonderful beaches and walks. The drive from Keel to the beach at Keel West is spectacular as is the Atlantic Drive. If you wish to explore further I suggest a trip to Westport about 25 miles away. It is a beautiful town with nice shops and pubs. We had a great lunch in Joey’s Bar which had a member of staff that was friendly and what we expect Irish people to be like.

Overall, our trip to Achill was enjoyable but I have to say that while the facilities at Sandybanks were adequate this site is far from a four star. This is very worrying as I feel the rating system leaves a lot to be desired and seems to be an afterthought as far as the Irish Tourist Board is concerned. I feel that we have to up our game if we are to attract motorhomers and caravanners to visit this country. Ireland has marketed itself as being a place where we are laid back and easygoing which is all very quaint but it should not be an excuse for poor standards while we charge high prices.

I hope to visit a few more campsites in Ireland before the end of the season and I will report what I find

munsterabu

Hello,
Agree about the camp site we were goin to stay there for 3 nights .pulled out after 1 .
the rating standards leave a lot to be desired in Ireland, take a look at the site in Tralee it is miles ahaead of sandybanks a big favourite for us now. I am glad other people are speaking out about these issues they can only be viewed as positive

jimmerc

Thank you Munsterabu for your comments. I am suprised that there is not more reaction to the rating and standards in some Irish campsites. I feel that we have to speak out when we meet poor standards. There are some very good campsites like Woodlands in Tralee. It seems to me that Bord Failte regard us motorhomers and caravanners as 'second class' tourists. What they fail to realise is that we cover a broad spectrum from families to retired people with a good spend potential.

I believe that there should be a rating and pricing system in place that is accurate and trustworthy. We also must be aware of the popularity of camping on the continent. We have travelled as far as Spain and Poland over the last 10 years and have seen the huge potential that there is in caravanning and camping. A site like Sandybanks reflects badly on our tourist industry which we are told is one of the vehicles of economic recovery.

I think that forums like this one are a great idea and has to potential to drive forward improvements and standards.:(

shanec1928

should this not be here to keep all the areas on the first page of the forum

jimmerc

Thanks Forza Rovers for you input. The reason that this is not in your suggested thread is that I was not prepared to 'tuck' it into a broad thread. I believe that Sandybanks needed to be highlighted due to the poor rating system that exists regarding campsites.

Perhaps we should have a thread that highlights poor standards in campsites. After all we are paying top money for the service in these campsites. We all work hard to get money to have our breaks and we should not be ripped off. I have checked the prices for Caravan Club sites and I can tell you that the price I would have paid for a much higher standard is the same as at Sandybanks. ( CC showers are unlimited time!)

face2face

Completely agree with this, spent June bank holiday at Keel Sandybanks, felt very ripped off, the facilities are poor and they do not reflect four stars. I often wonder about the rating system for campsites in Ireland, seems very patchy.

MugMugs

Camped there for The August BH and loved it however from a different perspective. We were camping and as it filled camper vans were allowed between tents. People all very friendly and found it generally clean and comfortable. I am under 30 and a watersports and beer fan so would have lower expectations as I am usually lodged up in a field with no facilities. In relation to the local pub. It's a hole. Always has been! The Annex up past the shop however is fantastic. And if you're up for it the Achill Head hosts a wee disco. The same as when I first went there some 14 years back. Beach is too cramped for surfing too with no regulation of the surf schools.

fatbast

been there a few times and the site is very basic but nice views and access to beach. overrall though achill is a bit of a kip in my opinion. there are better places to go in mayo.

alexfernie

+1. Kip.

demoreino

Hi All,
I am sorry to hear all the reports / opinions of Keel Sandybanks campsite in Achill. It is one site that we still reccommend to all our customers.
Because of our campervans been out on hire during the busy months of July / August we have not been there ourselves during busy periods so I cannot comment on some of the critism that has been dished out in earlier posts.
I would be the first to admit that it does not deserve a 4 star rating because the facilities are fairly basic but for sheer beauty there and in the general area I think it is as good as anywhere I have seen recently.
When we reccommend this site we tell our customers that it is basic but well worth it if they want to experience the rugged west of Ireland at its most beautiful best.
To sum up , I feel , whoever gave this site a 4 star rating was wrong but I personally still think that it is well worth a visit. A campsite within walking distance of a fabulous beach, a well stocked shop, a public house , a restaurant and a butchers, even if it has basic facilities cant be too bad.
Kevin www.iwmotorhomes.ie

face2face

Kevin, I would agree with what you have said up to a point- I don't think anyone would argue with the beauty and suitability of the location. My huge objection is the feeling of being ripped off. It is unfortunately all too common for owners here to appear to have the "sure it'll do" attitude when it comes to maintaining their sites at an appropriate level for the charges they levy. We have never wildcamped because we have small children, but Achill is one place that I would consider doing it. Its a real shame.

demoreino

face2face wrote: »

Kevin, I would agree with what you have said up to a point- I don't think anyone would argue with the beauty and suitability of the location. My huge objection is the feeling of being ripped off. It is unfortunately all too common for owners here to appear to have the "sure it'll do" attitude when it comes to maintaining their sites at an appropriate level for the charges they levy. We have never wildcamped because we have small children, but Achill is one place that I would consider doing it. Its a real shame.

Unfortunately, a lot of sites have the "sure it'll do" attitude . You are right to highlight your feelings and I believe these attitudes wont change until more site users voice their opinions and hit them where it hurts by no longer using badly run sites.
There is no excuse for a dripping shower that is costing €1 for 4 minutes or for unclean facilities. If its busy they got to get more staff.
Kevin www.iwmotorhomes.ie

jimmerc

Hi Kevin, Thanks for your input. It is good to hear from someone in the 'business'. I started this thread because I believe standards in some campsites must reflect the grade and price they are charging.

I was wondering if you have a customer feedback system regarding their holidays and the campsites they have visited. I believe that there is huge potential in this area of tourism. It is not just campsites that have to improve their game. I also noticed in some of the shops I visited that there was a distinct lack of interest from some staff (mainly young). I do not blame them for their surly attitude but I do blame the owners/managers for not instilling a sense of customer care at least when they are on the company time.

We need to insist that if we pay for a service we get good service in return. God knows we work hard for our money that the Government seems intent to take off us!

demoreino

Hi Jimmerc,
We have a visitor book / comment book in our vehicles which we encourage our customers to fill in. It is good to hear the good, the bad and the ugly of their time with us. It is important to hear comments about ourselves so we know where we must improve. we are a young company and still very much learning the ropes.
We make a point of asking everyone where they were and what they thought of the areas they were in. It would be no good for my business to openly slate any site that is getting bad reports but we certainly would not include these sites when we are been asked for recommendations .
I feel there are a lot of service providers in the tourism business trying their best in a tough market place. There are others who dont give a damn and want to take your last penny. People should remember that the tourism season, especially in the west of Ireland is very very short and the prices been charged are a result of this.
I believe that if our business ran for 12 months that we could probably half our prices, but as the saying goes we have to make hay while the sun shines.
Kevin www.iwmotorhomes.ie

face2face

People should remember that the tourism season, especially in the west of Ireland is very very short and the prices been charged are a result of this.
I believe that if our business ran for 12 months that we could probably half our prices, but as the saying goes we have to make hay while the sun shines.

Kevin, the tourist season is the tourist season, it has always been the same length - robbing the visitors, does absolutely nothing to help the case of the providers in the long term. I totally understand and respect the need of the people to earn a living, but jacking up the prices for a very poor offering is just not good enough in my book. While this is a thread about Keel in particular, they are by no means the only offenders in this regard.

I always want to stay in nice places and have absolutely no problem paying top whack for a top campsite, but increasingly am really fed up with what's on offer here.

jimmerc

Hi Face to face, Thanks for joining in this debate. I have to compliment Kevin for sticking his head above the parapet! I looked at your website and I wish you the best of luck with you business.

But getting back to the subject of campsites I am beginning to wonder about who is grading these sites. The ICC claims to be responsible but given the grade Sandybanks have I worry about the way they do business. Sandybank has the potential to be a great campsite but there is absolutely no organisation or attempt to run the site properly. As Face to Face says he has no problem paying top dollar for good facilities. Anyone who has visited a Caravan Club or a Camping and Caravan club site will see that you get top class facilites for the same price you pay for mediocre sites in Ireland.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great campsites in Ireland and the owners go out of their way to provider good facilities and service to their customers. But we the user must use forums like this one to highlight the good and the bad in Irish campsites. Only then can we expect the standards to rise or at least the price to reflect the quality of the site.

WildWater

Ok so this took a bit of searching but I eventually found it here http://www.camping-ireland.ie/camping-info/grading-info.html and NOT here (where one would expect to find it) http://www.discoverireland.ie/Where-To-Stay/Follow-the-Shamrock3


* Will provide the minimum facilities required for registration with Failte Ireland
** Will have a limited range of facilities
*** Will have a good range of facilities and good management
**** Will have extensive facilities and a high standard of management

Anyway my conclusion is that the above is an absolute joke of a ranking system. It gives the user absolutely no insight into the actual facilities that one can expect to avail of on a site. Also why would a site be awarded any star is they have less than 'good' management?

Getting back to Sandybanks
I cannot comment on the management of this facility as I have never stayed in it. However, a couple of weekend ago we did stay in Achill. We spent a fabulous day on the beach in Keel and the kids really enjoyed their time in the public playground. This as many of you will know is right outside the campsite. While they were there I wandered through the site to check out facilities and price. My conclusion was to stay elsewhere.

The OP has already listed the facilities available so I wont repeat them - however IMO to classify the facilities available as "extensive" is absolute codology. I would expect that the "minimum" facilities to get one star would be enough toilets, showers and campers kitchen to cope with a full site and an acceptable level of good management. So where are the other "extensive" facilities? One can only conclude that the extensive facilities are hardstands and hookup points (for which you pay even more).

It is unfair to include the playground (excellent and all as it is) as this is not part of the campsite and is freely available to all. Likewise the site doesn't actually provide any better access to, or view of, the beach than what is publicly and freely available.

So, as we were in a campervan and didn't need to use the showers we would have been paying a lot for sweet feck all! So we didn't.

There are other options on Achill - one other campsite, at least two Safe Nights Ireland locations and wild camping.


And BTW I cannot agree that Achill is a kip. The Atlantic drive, Meenaun Cliffs, huge beach at Keel and the more quaint Keem beach etc also some lovely quiet beaches on the north side of the Island, walks, mountains/hills, views all over the Island. Some of the peripheral services may not be all that great but to label the whole island as a kip is doing this beautiful part of Mayo a huge injustice.

bogman

Achill is an amazing place, spent a few days there wild camping in June, Keem beach is a beautiful place, Achill a kip...not a hope